bkrantz
Feb 29 2020, 10:13 PM
Now time to move on. Here is the middle layer patch for the top of the sill, final fit.
bkrantz
Feb 29 2020, 10:15 PM
And welded in place.
bkrantz
Feb 29 2020, 10:16 PM
And here is the top layer patch, nearly fitted.
bkrantz
Mar 1 2020, 09:36 PM
Started welding on the last layer, beginning with the flange against the inner fender wall. Nice to have the car on the rotisserie, so I could weld with the flange and fender wall horizontal.
bkrantz
Mar 1 2020, 09:40 PM
I ground down the welds along the flange and they looked good, so went on the weld the main part of the patch. Mostly straight-forward, except along the seam against the remaining original pitted metal. That led to some more ugly welds.
bkrantz
Mar 1 2020, 09:42 PM
I still have to grind this down and check the weld success, but I am happy to be close to done on closing up the hell hole, only 6 months after I cut a hole in the top to explore for internal rust.
tygaboy
Mar 1 2020, 10:56 PM
bkrantz
Mar 2 2020, 09:55 PM
Thanks. Milestones are good for my mental health, as are my documentations and posts.
Anyway, here is the finished (for now) product. A bit lumpy, but it should be functional and look OK, especially after prep and paint.
bkrantz
Mar 2 2020, 09:56 PM
On to the firewall. Here's a cardboard template fit for the lower patch.
bkrantz
Mar 4 2020, 08:44 PM
Small patch cut and formed, with holes in the flanges for plug welds.
bkrantz
Mar 4 2020, 08:45 PM
Final fit.
bkrantz
Mar 4 2020, 08:46 PM
After welding and grinding. Now time for the bigger hole...
bkrantz
Mar 4 2020, 08:47 PM
And from the engine side.
bkrantz
Mar 5 2020, 10:02 PM
Spent about an hour today working on forming the upper firewall patch, including the diagonal raised ribs. Still needs more work in the complex corner on the right side.
FourBlades
Mar 6 2020, 08:13 AM
Looking good!
You are making good progress.
John
9146C
Mar 6 2020, 09:20 AM
Very impressed with your fabrication work!
tygaboy
Mar 6 2020, 09:26 AM
Fabricationlous!
Nice looking patch piece. You're making great progress.
bkrantz
Mar 6 2020, 06:03 PM
Thank, guys. Just a bit of time to play body shop today. The corner fold looks better, and I am ready to trim this patch.
bkrantz
Mar 7 2020, 09:44 PM
Spent a couple of hours fitting the new patch. After the initial cut, I had it in and out about a dozen times--definitely trying to attain the Zen level of patience. Here it is near the end of fitting trials.
bkrantz
Mar 7 2020, 09:45 PM
And after tack-welding. Time for more patience.
bkrantz
Mar 8 2020, 07:09 PM
Welding done, and initial grinding. Might be a few spots to touch up.
bkrantz
Mar 10 2020, 08:43 PM
On to the last thing in the hell hole area: the right engine shelf. Here is the piece from RD.
bkrantz
Mar 10 2020, 08:45 PM
First fit check after my initial trim. I need only the front half of the shelf, and a bit more of the rubber seal channel.
bkrantz
Mar 10 2020, 08:46 PM
And after about a dozen cycles of check, trim, bend, repeat. About 90% fitted.
raynekat
Mar 10 2020, 10:49 PM
Looks good Bob.
bkrantz
Mar 11 2020, 07:48 PM
Thanks, Doug. Still lots to do on the body shell (finish the shelf, remount the front fender, straighten the rear fender and rear panel, miscellaneous brackets and braces) and then both doors and the replacement trunk lid need a bit of work.
But we do this for fun, right?
bkrantz
Mar 12 2020, 08:25 PM
Had a couple of hours of garage time and worked to finish the fit. I could not get both ends just right, so I tried tack welding one end and working the fit as I welded towards the other end. Seemed to work OK.
Lilchopshop
Mar 13 2020, 08:14 AM
Bob, I'm really enjoying your thread! Thank you for the excellent documentation! Its great to see that top-level workmanship can still be achieved without a fully-outfitted fabrication shop. This will be a great reference for me as I go through my project.
tygaboy
Mar 13 2020, 08:42 AM
I'm going to start calling you Bob "Dunwright".
Thanks for saving your car and installing so very much love into it. Great stuff.
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:36 PM
Thanks, guys. Encouragement always helps.
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:41 PM
Got the engine shelf welding done. I am pretty happy with results except where I fumbled the grinder inside the groove for the rubber engine shelf seal. I will probably splice in a piece to fix this.
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:43 PM
On to the rest of the issues in the engine compartment. First is the right trunk hinge bracket. Grinding out the old, torn bracket resulted in a couple of small holes (and some brass from the brazing done by the PO).
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:44 PM
After welding the grind the holes.
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:46 PM
And after measuring, and re-measuring, I tack-welded the new bracket in place. I will triple-check the position tomorrow and finish the welds.
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:48 PM
Meanwhile, I started the next task. Both the left and right engine lid hinge brackets were torn out. The PO "fixed" these by bolting through the firewall. Left side.
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:48 PM
Right side.
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:50 PM
I cut out just enough to get straight edges, and did a bit of metal work to even things up. Left side.
bkrantz
Mar 13 2020, 08:50 PM
And right side. I will cut some patches tomorrow.
bkrantz
Mar 14 2020, 08:07 PM
When I measured the right trunk hinge bracket today, I found it to be about 1/8 inch low. So I cut off the tack welds, repositioned, measured about 5 more times, and welded it in for good (I hope). My MIG welder is acting funny, so I may grind these semi-ugly welds and redo it once I figure out what is wrong.
bkrantz
Mar 14 2020, 08:09 PM
Back to the engine lid hinges, here's the patch for the left side.
bkrantz
Mar 14 2020, 08:11 PM
And the right side.
bkrantz
Mar 14 2020, 08:11 PM
Left side bracket in position.
bkrantz
Mar 14 2020, 08:12 PM
And welded.
bkrantz
Mar 14 2020, 08:13 PM
And right side.
raynekat
Mar 14 2020, 08:56 PM
Yeah, those engine lid brackets need to be in the correct position. If too low, your engine lid will be too low and have a big gap on the leading edge. If too hight you could use some washers to space the lid down to the correct height.
Moral...better to be too high than too low.
bkrantz
Mar 15 2020, 08:19 PM
I will find out before too much longer. Before any final body and paint work I plan to mount all the lids and doors to check alignment.
bkrantz
Mar 15 2020, 08:20 PM
Last task in the engine compartment area is dealing with the festival of holes in the firewall, left by POs.
bkrantz
Mar 15 2020, 08:21 PM
Here's my favorite. How and why did somebody do this?
bkrantz
Mar 15 2020, 08:24 PM
After straightening the sheet metal at some holes, I got the grinder with the paint stripping disk busy.
bkrantz
Mar 15 2020, 08:27 PM
Looking ahead to the next job: repairing the sides of the cowl panel where it meets the tops of the front fenders. The front trunk lid opened too far, probably many times, and made contact with the cowl weatherstrip channel. This deformed the channel and tore the corner joint.
Here is the right side, where I have previously removed the fender.
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